Friend –

Just before the 4th of July holiday, I was back in the Heartland for USGLC’s third annual Heartland Summit – and it did not disappoint. Once again, I was struck by the power and energy of the voices from the Midwest, and their stories of why America’s engagement in the world matters in their hometowns.

The Summit included:

• Simultaneous conversations from Sioux City, Iowa to Detroit, Michigan to Bismarck, North Dakota to Kansas City, Kansas.
• Impressive insights from bipartisan policymakers including Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), who recently launched the Congressional Heartland Caucus, and Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) on why leading globally matters to the Heartland.
• Hundreds of state leaders participating in-person and reaching more than 200,000 viewers online.

While there were many highlights, one of my favorites was when I asked Senator Ernst what she was sharing with the GOP presidential candidates about foreign policy to win the support of Iowa voters before the upcoming Caucuses. Here’s her impressive answer.

Check out the details and more in the GLOBAL GAB below, including USGLC’s new Farmers for Prosperity initiative that led an effort at this year’s Summit to mobilize 500 farmers and agricultural leaders in a critical letter to Congress in support of global engagement.

With Congress back in town next week, they will be turning their attention to annual spending bills, including the State-Foreign Operations bill that funds America’s development and diplomacy programs. Watch for details next week on action needed about raising our voice about the importance of America’s role in the world.

More soon,

Liz
Liz Schrayer, USGLC

THE GLOBAL GAB: What We Are Hearing from the Heartland

July 7, 2023

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP MATTERS

With 20% of jobs throughout the Heartland states dependent on overseas markets, it was no surprise that the message from bipartisan policymakers – alongside business and community leaders – at USGLC’s third annual “Heartland Summit” called for greater U.S. global engagement. Michael Wagner, representing USGLC Heartland Partnership Chair, Cargill, captured the theme saying, “If we're not successful, nourishing and feeding the world… I don't know how you sustain life. I don't know how you sustain peace, or an economic viability of the heartland, of U.S. leadership, and… global security.”

• From Iowa. “Food Security is National Security” was the headline from Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). “When you are hungry, you will do just about anything to feed your family.” The Senator went on to reinforce the imperative of American global leadership saying, “We can't shrink away from our responsibility around the globe… if we are not out there, others will be and who are those others? China, Russia, Iran. We can't pull back because they are not just going to – they are already filling in the gaps.”
  
  
• From Michigan. Holding up a map that she drew showing a dearth of Congressional leaders from Heartland States, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), founder of the new Congressional Heartland Caucus, called the Heartland “the backbone of the American economy”, emphasizing that “there’s no road to the White House that doesn’t go through the Midwest.” She added, “We feed the world. We have 20% of the world’s freshwater in our Great Lakes. We put the world – not the country, the world – on wheels. We want to stay at the forefront of innovation and technology.”
  
  
• Kitchen Table Issues. Local leaders kicked off the program including Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott who said, “These are issues that are worth talking about at the kitchen table with your family and at the local diners with your friends.” Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch added, “The majority of people who buy American goods and services do not live in America.”
  
  
• Bipartisan Moment. Rep. Dingell spotlighted her partnership with Senator Ernst: “Joni Ernst and I are very good friends we don't look at each other as a Republican or Democrat, but we look at each other as working together for the Heartland.”

FARMERS WEIGH IN

On the day of the Heartland Summit, over 500 farmers and agricultural leaders sent a letter – led by USGLC’s Farmers for Prosperity initiative – to House and Senate leadership urging them to “support critical programs and resources that advance U.S. leadership in global food security” through the International Affairs Budget and the Farm Bill.

• The Message. “Today, the impact of rising conflict, climate threats, and poverty has left more than 258 million people in 58 countries facing acute hunger at crisis levels,” wrote the farmers and agricultural leaders, adding that in the face of historic crises, “America must strengthen our nation’s leadership around the world to fight global hunger, enable our nation’s farmers to compete, and to build new stable markets for our agricultural exports.”
  
  
• What’s at Stake. Letter signer and former Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, speaking at the Heartland Summit in Iowa, said, “No industry is as dependent on global policy and our role in the world, as is agriculture.”
  
  
• Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), in her opening remarks to the Heartland Summit, shared “why the world matters to Michigan and why Michigan matters to the world.” She added that in 2021, her state exported “$61 billion of goods, supporting more than 1.1 million local jobs,” including “$9.5 billion in [agricultural] goods,” and that “the Farm Bill, which is up for reauthorization in Congress, is a vital part of making that possible.”

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT

Given that the competition with China dominates foreign policy conversations, how America leads in technology and innovation on the global front was front and center on the Summit stage.

• China in the Lead. “Out of 34 key technology areas [like 5G cell phone technology], China’s leading in 27,” said Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).
  
  
• Boosting Business. “The technology, and America’s technology… allows our companies to connect to the global marketplace in a way that is much more efficient, and, frankly, allows smaller businesses to go global in their life cycle,” said Google’s Marcus Jadotte.
  
  
• Digital Diplomacy. The conversation was timely as Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in Beijing to meet with Chinese leaders to discuss competition, especially around technology. It was the first time in four years a U.S. Treasury Secretary has visited the country and her emphasis was on keeping lines of communication open, saying, “we should not allow any disagreement to lead to misunderstandings that needlessly worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship.”

SENATOR JONI ERNST TO 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

As the 2024 presidential race moves into high gear, Iowa is once again front and center as the majority of candidates visit the Hawkeye State.

• America’s Role in the World. When asked at the Heartland Summit what she wants to hear from the GOP presidential hopefuls about their views on America’s global leadership, Senator Ernst said, “I am telling them that we cannot, as the United States of America, abdicate our role in the world. We can’t step aside and let others determine our future because we won’t like that future.”
  
  
• Caucus Questions. She is also asking them: “Number one, how are you going to protect our nation?... Number two, how are you going to lead and convene others that have the same value sets? And then how are you going to talk to others that don’t share our beliefs… We do have the power to bring many nations together. And we should be that leader. That’s what I want to hear from those contenders.”

WEEKEND READS

Five smart pieces on the wider world of foreign policy, global development, and national security:

• Wagner in Africa. Semafor digs into what’s next for Wagner’s mining operations on the continent (scroll down).
  
  
• Ukraine. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and former DFC CEO Adam Boehler make the case on why support for America’s ally remains essential.
  
  
• Opioid Crisis. The NY Times covers the State Department’s new coalition on combatting fentanyl as Secretary Yellen ratchets up pressure in Beijing this weekend.
  
  
• Localizing Global Development. RTI’s Paul Weisenfeld on how global development organizations can be a positive force in locally led development.
  
  
• NATO’s Next Decade. Nine thinkers assess the alliance’s future ahead of a historic summit.